“They did not pick the yeast that I normally use,” winemaker Tom Johnson says. “It’s a new experience for me.”
The “they” refers to Silversmith’s Facebook fans, 797 of them, who are voting on winemaking decisions for the 2011 vintage. “I thought Matt was crazy when he came up with this idea,” says Tom. “I thought no one would be interested and no one would participate. Boy was I wrong.”
Matt Johnson is Tom’s son and sales and marketing director for Silversmith Vineyards. His idea: crowd source all the decisions in the winemaking process to the winery’s Facebook fans who “like” the winery’s page.
This may be the best use of social media in the wine world. Read more